The Latest: 49ers take Nick Bosa with No. 2 pick

Ohio State edge rusher Nick Bosa went to San Francisco as expected. The 49ers have used a first-round selection on four defensive linemen in the past five drafts.

Bosa is considered the top pass rusher in this group. His older brother, Joey, plays for the Chargers and was the 2016 Defensive Rookie of the Year. Their father also played in the NFL.

Bosa is the highest Ohio State draft pick since offensive tackle Orlando Pace went No. 1 to St. Louis in 1997.

Bosa missed all but three games last season with a core muscle injury, but already had exhibited the kind of playmaking that lifts players to loft status. Such as the second pick in the draft.

———

8:25 p.m.

Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray is the first pick in the NFL draft, going to Arizona and immediately creating a quarterback quandary.

A year after the Cardinals traded up to the 10th spot to grab Josh Rosen, they went with Oklahoma’s dynamic Heisman Trophy winner. The team apparently believes Murray is a better fit running the offense of new coach Kliff Kingsbury, who worked in the Big 12 that Murray dominated last season.

Murray is the second straight Sooners quarterback taken atop the draft, following another Heisman recipient, Baker Mayfield, who went to Cleveland last year. Mayfield had a superb rookie season, and the Cardinals can only hope Murray has a similar impact in the desert.

They immediately presented the winner of a contest for two season tickets for the next 100 years as part of the NFL’s celebration of its 100th season.

Giants fan Greg Hampton won the contest.

———

7 p.m.

While he’s making no predictions about continued labor peace, Roger Goodell is encouraged that talks with the players’ union have begun.

The 10-year collective bargaining agreement was reached in 2011 after a lockout of the players that lasted from March until midsummer. The NFL commissioner says mutual respect on both sides can lead to productive dialogue before the deal runs out in March 2021.

“The bottom line is we do have a CBA in place for close to eight years and it has worked very well for players, clubs, fans and the game,” he told SiriusXM NFL Radio. “These discussions are happening and hopefully we will get to a place where we can extend the deal in some format.

“When you have dialogue and understand each other and listen to each other, it’s ‘OK, how can we use this to have a better league?’ Our league is better when we listen to opposing views.”

———

6:25 p.m.

The agent for Jaylon Ferguson says the potential first-round pick has spent much of Thursday helping people affected by a tornado that tore through Ruston, Louisiana, in the early morning hours.

Safarrah Lawson said Ferguson was going through neighborhoods making sure people who didn’t have power had bottled water and other necessities. Lawson, who is also in Ruston, said Ferguson’s family was safe but that the area he was staying in sustained some damage, including downed trees.

The tornado killed two people and Louisiana’s governor has declared a state of emergency.

Ferguson played college at Louisiana Tech, which is in Ruston. The 6-foot-5, 271-pound defensive end set the FBS record with 45 sacks.

———

5:15 p.m.

Hall of Fame-bound Kevin Mawae, a star center for the Tennessee Titans and, before them, the Jets and Seahawks, spoke as part of the Heart of a Hall of Famer program this week. Mawae appeared at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, where he was a dean of students.

“It’s not where you start the race; it’s how you finish it,” Mawae said as he told students how being involved in the draft can apply to life in general.

“You can start at the bottom, the middle, or even the top, but it is how you finish the race and run the race. A career is not a sprint; it’s a marathon.”

The Heart of a Hall of Famer educational series provides students the opportunity to learn firsthand what it took beyond athletic ability for players to achieve success on and off the field. The program focuses on the Hall of Fame’s core values of commitment, integrity, courage, respect and excellence.

POPULAR CATEGORY

TheNewsJournal is the world’s best website designed specifically for you to search, read, review, share, save and enjoy leading international, national and regional digital newspapers online. TheNewsJournal is the leading provider of digital News online, whose titles are read by several thousand unique visitors every month.